11th November 2014

by Zacki Jabbar The JVP said yesterday that it was awaiting President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s announcement of the Supreme Court ruling on the determination he had sought with regard to his eligibility to seek re-election for a third term to decide on its future course of action. Former JVP leader and current Politburo member Somawansa Amerasinghe told The Island last night that JVP awaits they believed in going step by step . “Once the SC opinion on the Presidents reference is known, we will announce what our next course of action is. Until then we will be studying the political developments that are taking place.” The Supreme Court yesterday forwarded its determination on the reference made by the President to the President’s Office, which did not […]

The former military intelligence head of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) says Deputy Minister Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan, known as Karuna Amman, should apologize for the crimes committed during the time he was in the LTTE. Colonel R. Hariharan, who served as the head of intelligence of the IPKF from 1987 to 90, said in a post on the South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG) that whenKaruna took over as Special Commander of Batticaloa in 1990, LTTE cadres under his command perpetrated some of the heinous killing of innocent civilians including women and children. These included the massacre of 175 Muslims praying in Kattankudy mosque and many other Muslims (some estimates say up to 300) including women and children in Kattankudy and Eravur. Hariharan recalled that a […]

Communist Party In Crisis: Central Committee Divided Over supporting MR A heated debate had broken out in the Central Committee meeting of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka due to a proposal that the party should support President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the next presidential election. The General Secretary of the party DEW Gunasekera has made this proposal on the Central Committee (CC) meeting on Sunday, November 9. Member of the CC of CPSL Raja Uswatakeyiyava said that the proposal was passed with a majority. While there were 26 votes for the proposal, 14 votes were against. One member reportedly abstained from voting…………….. READ MORE Fonseka Reunites With Tiran: Democratic Party Splits Former Army Commander and Leader of the Democratic Party Sarath Fonseka and DNA […]

The spokesperson said the Indian High Commission in Colombo has got the judgement which is over 200 pages long India today said it will file an appeal in the Supreme Court ofSri Lanka to bring back the five Indian fishermen on death row in the country for alleged drug smuggling. “We will file an appeal in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka to bring back the five Indian fishermen,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told journalists accompanying Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Myanmar for the the India-ASEAN and East Asia summits here. Yesterday, the spokesperson in New Delhi had said the government would do everything possible to ensure return of the five Indian fishermen in accordance with Sri Lanka’s legal and executive process. […]

The Bodu Bala Sena today said that it was even ready to contest at the forthcoming Presidential Election independently, saying that its decision depended on how parties gave prominence to Buddhism. “We have four options: to support the present government, to support the opposition, to remain neutral, to contest in the forthcoming Presidential Election,” BBS Secretary Ven. Galagoda Atthe Gnanasara Thera said. “We are ready to go even for the last option, after carefully monitoring the election manifestoes of various parties. We will decide depending on how the political parties give prominence to Buddhism,” he said. Speaking at a media conference in Colombo, Ven. Gnansara Thera said that his organisation remained vigilant about the peoples’ opinion and intended to take appropriate decision at the right […]

The Jathika Hela Urumaya expressed its displeasure over the attempts to use Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka’s name to support a pro-government rally which is scheduled to take place in Colombo tomorrow. The pro-government rally is scheduled to take place at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium with the participation of leaders of the constituent parties of the government namely Wimal Weerawansa and Dinesh Gunawardena. Issuing a media statement just a day before the rally, Nishantha Warnasinghe, Propaganda Secretary of the JHU said his party or Minister Ranawaka never had discussions with the government over the pro-government rally. He also confirmed that Minister Ranawaka would not take part in the rally supporting President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Warnasinghe added that the propaganda campaign painted a wrong picture about the Jathika Hela […]

A Colombo Magistrate today for the second time refused to grant bail to Minister Mervyn Silva’s son Malaka who has been remanded till November 18 and is to be produced at an identification parade. Malaka was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital after he was said to have suffered injuries during a brawl with a British couple at a night club on November 1. Magistrate A.M. Shahabdeen said he would consider bail for Malaka when the case is taken up on November 18 and pointed out that the case was called today so that the police could file the JMO‘s report. Malaka’s Counsel Hemantha Warnakulasuriya PC told the Magistrate that Malaka was remanded so as to to produce him at an identification parade. He said […]

The Supreme Court (SC) has determined that President Mahinda Rajapaksa can contest for a third term in office, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva informed Parliament today. He said that according to the determination of the court, which had been communicated to the President, there is no legal barrier preventing the President from holding an election after 4 years in office or seeking a third term. The Supreme Court decision on whether President Mahinda Rajapaksa can contest for a third term was dispatched to the President last afternoon by a full Bench of Supreme Court Judges. The Supreme Court Bench comprised Chief Justice Mohan Pieris PC, Justice K. Sripavan, Justice Chandra Ekanayake, Justice Priyasath Dep PC, Justice Eva Wanasundara, Justice Rohini Marasinghe, Justice B.P. Aluvihara, Justice […]